Southend-on-Sea, Essex... Why?

I can remember when heading towards the entrance to Pier Hill, to make your way steeply downhill to the many shops of trinkets, amusements and candy floss stalls, was to be one of the most exciting moment's of a little girl's life.  The adrenaline rush was of such a high for one of five years old, that it's feeling would have to last me for the rest of the wintery months.  It was the grandeur of the place that had me in awe…. the large hotels and the glamorous people who had such style, made you feel that you were entering a world of fairyland!  The noise, the smell and that fact that it belonged to us, us 'Southender's' made any child of any age, Mum's and Dad's as well, dream that every day could be like this even when it was raining!  Those feeling's sadly were not to last for long!